NOVEL NEXT CHAPTER 110: Freedom
POV: PORTAL CRUSHER CAMP
Back at the Portal Crushers’ camp, the atmosphere was tense. The sun was setting, casting long shadows over the settlement. Atlas’s team, still reeling from their battle with the demon dogs, was busy tending to wounds and reinforcing defenses. The hippies, now prisoners, were huddled together, their fear unmistakeable in their eyes.
Atlas stood near the campfire, his eyes scanning the horizon. He had no illusions about the gravity of what he had done. Taking over the Earth Children’s Settlement had been necessary, but it would come with consequences. He could only hope his team would be strong enough to face what was coming next.
The night was far from over, and the dangers that lurked in the darkness were only beginning to reveal themselves.
“Well, Olivia, you see what I was talking about,” Atlas began, his tone measured but firm. “Tomorrow night, that fairy is going to return, and people are going to die. Do you think you guys were going to reach your eight points in time to save yourselves?”
Olivia shook her head, her expression a mix of frustration and resignation. “No, we probably wouldn’t have. But what you did still wasn’t right. You could have talked to us.”
‘Yeah, right,‘ thought Atlas, ‘by the time you hippies would have made a decision, you’d all be dead.‘
“We didn’t have time,” Atlas said, his voice tinged with impatience.
Before he could say more, one of the Earth’s Children interjected, his voice shaking with anger. “Let us go, you fascist! You have no right to hold us here!”
Atlas sighed, recognizing that this man wasn’t listening to reason. His emotions were raw, his pride wounded, and facts seemed irrelevant in the face of that. “You’re free to leave now,” Atlas said calmly.
The Earth’s Children looked confused, their anger giving way to uncertainty. “What?” they asked, unsure if they had heard him correctly. Their demands rarely got agreed to so quickly.
“Yeah,” Atlas repeated, nodding toward the supplies. “Here are some of your supplies, some Ultra Manly Buff Bars: Vegan lasagna flavor, and some water. If you travel about 50 kilometers in any direction, you should be able to find another settlement. Amber, John, Snedlie—use GlueGone and get them off those poles.”
As the Portal Crushers got to work, the Earth’s Children screamed in pain as the KrazyBondoglue dissolved, tearing at their skin as they were separated from the bone poles. The sounds of the GlueGone process were agonizing, but Atlas didn’t flinch. He knew this was necessary, even if it was brutal.
The Earth’s Children, now free, stood there trembling, clutching their few belongings. They were hurt, angry, and confused, but above all, they were scared of what tomorrow would bring.
“Fuck you! We’re leaving,” Lennon said.
He and a group of other Earth’s Children left the camp, holding food, supplies and extra clothes in their arms.
Atlas hadn’t given them any of the valuable backpacks.
“Are you sure we should go?” asked Saturn.
“Better than being stuck here with a proto-dictator,” answered Krissy.
‘Good riddance,‘ thought Atlas as he watched the group walk away.
The rest of the Earth’s Children, including Olivia, decided the night was far too unsafe to leave immediately.
“Let’s take a night to think about it,” Olivia said to the remaining Earth’s Children. “I’ll talk to Atlas in the morning.”
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teeeny tiny chapter part 2. The next chapters return to regular length after.